How exciting will it be to see the Texans have a rushing game in 2022?
The 2022 regular season can’t get here fast enough for the Houston Texans, and one of the players who will make the season watchable is rookie running back Dameon Pierce, as it will be nice to possibly have a running back make his mark on the roster.
As we spoken about many times as of late, the Houston Texans were terrible running the football for a number of reasons in ’21, to the point nearly every running back on the roster last season isn’t back for ’22. Though the Texans have added veteran Marlon Mack to the roster, and Burkhead returns for another season, Pierce is the most exciting addition of the offseason when it comes to running backs.
There is so much potential with the power game of Pierce, as he can force a defense into submission, or at least wear them out for the rest of the offense to have the knockout punch. Pierce’s addition to the offense will surprise many in ’22, and the Texans’ offense will benefit greatly with him on the roster.
Texans coach Lovie Smith seems excited about what Pierce can bring to the offense of the Texans as well in 2022, with the following comments provided by Houston Texans.com:
"“[Dameon Pierce] is a tough guy. You see him work in special teams and a little bit of return game to him. He can run in between tackles and can make you miss a little bit in the open field. Again, we have about six running backs in the mix. I’m anxious to see – you know, you try not to get too excited. We’re in underwear, we’re in shorts right now. Monday should start telling us a lot more.”"
Texans need to be more consistent with their running game in ’22
In ’21, the Texans running backs averaged 3.4 yards per attempt according to Pro-Football Reference, with the team having eight total rushing touchdowns. Also, as a team Houston totaled 1,422 rushing yards, with a total of 420 carries.
In 17 games last season, Houston had three games where the running backs combined for over 100 yards rushing with those coming in Week 1 against the Jaguars, Week 6 against the Indianapolis Colts, and Week 16 against the Los Angeles Chargers. In four games last season the running backs in Houston rushed for under 50 yards combined in a game.
The numbers of the Texans running backs should be better in ’22 and having Pierce on the roster running in between the tackles is much needed to set the tone and pace on offense in ’22.
That excitement alone makes the start of the regular season hard to wait for, but once Pierce gets settled and used to the NFL, it is going to be fun watching Houston’s rushing game which is something that none of could say for a majority of last season.